My cousin Chris and his wife Heidi are expecting their first child this spring! It is so nice for me to have family out here in Seattle and I am so excited that our little family is growing, so I was happy to offer to help host Heidi’s baby shower. Heidi’s childhood best friend, Colleen, is also out here in Seattle so we tag-teamed the effort to throw Heidi’s Twinkle Twinkle Little Star themed shower this past weekend.
After a wonderful Christmas Alex and I decided to hightail it off to Utah to take a ski trip just the two of us. It’s not too often that we take a trip other than to visit family or friends, with family or friends or to attend a wedding, so it was a real treat to spend this time together.
We flew out to Salt Lake City the morning of New Year’s Eve and after a few minor flight delays arrived at lunch time. The first day of our trip and a few days leading up to it were a bit odd. Logistics and details became more difficult than they should have. Long story short, we thought we reserved a hotel room at a hotel via booking.com but it turned out to be a vacation rental through either a private owner or a property management company – honestly we still aren’t even sure! It was such a mess and the owner/property managers were not experienced in dealing with renters which makes me shocked that we were able to get into the room at all.
On top of the lodging confusion, the specific car we reserved to rent was unavailable and we had to seriously upgrade {which ended up being okay because we got to drive a brand new SUV}; the restaurant we wanted to eat lunch at was closed for a health inspection; the lines at the state controlled liquor store were out the door; the truck with all of the produce going to Whole Foods broke down in Wyoming, so there was a complete shortage of food; and then the unit we reserved did not have heat or hot water the first night. There’s a lot of details I left out but what matters is that eventually we got heat and hot water and the place we stayed was beautiful, it just was a really weird, weird experience topped off with unmet expectations.
Our New Years Eve celebration was wonderful. We had a really fun, unique dinner at Fireside Dining, which is a fondue restaurant at Deer Valley. Our evening started with a horse drawn sleigh ride around the area. Mind you it was about 5 degrees below zero…
We quickly warmed up inside, as the restaurant boasts four open, wood-burning fireplaces, which is how the fondue is prepared and served. There are four stations – one raclette station where there is a block of cheese propped up next to the fire that literally drips down onto a plate that you take and fill with little dippers, like bread, pearl onions and potatoes.
Another station hosted soup where huge kettles of thick, hearty stews rested on the hearth of the fireplace to keep warm. These were so tasty! I had the wild mushroom stew and Alex had the hunter’s stew that was full of wild meats. The third fireplace had lamb legs cooking over it. I don’t usually care for lamb, but this was delicious!
Finally, the fourth fireplace was home to dessert! There were three different pots – chocolate, white chocolate and caramel – then you got to choose from a sampling of desserts, like pound cake and strawberries, to dip into the yummy sauce.
We shared a bottle of prosecco, lots of memories from the year that was coming to an end, and great conversation about what our hopes for the year approaching might be. We both agreed that the years just keep getting better and better and that 2015 is going to be full of new memories.
New Years Day meant that it was time to strap our skis to our feet and hit the slopes! Our first of three ski days was at Snowbird, which we had been to previously. Snowbird is amazing and we were so excited to be back. Utah is known for its blue skies and champagne powder. We only experienced the blue skies during our trip, but it sure beats skiing in the gloom Washington has to offer. We missed the big powder fest by a few days, though we did find a few secret powder stashes in the trees.
We rocked around the mountain all day, mainly sticking on the Peruvian Express, since the north facing slope seemed to boast the best snow. I was wishing we could have spent more time back in Mineral Basin where it is completely wide open, full of bowls and beauty, but the snow was really firm and crusty there.
All in all, it was a great first ski day of the new year!
Our second ski day was spent at Alta, which is right next door to Snowbird – you can ski between the two mountains. Together, they have 4,700 skiable acres, but on their own, they are both smaller than our home mountain, Crystal Mountain Resort. We had not been to Alta before but had the preconceived expectations of it being an old-school resort without any glam. That definitely was true, but it had some nice updated technology features, like RFID passes, and a new lodge.
The runs were longer than we expected and we had a really fun time exploring some bowls and the trees. I spent most of the time “in the lead” which is unusual for me – usually I am the caboose because I am slow and can wrangle any stragglers – but Alex said I am more adventurous in new terrain, which was also news to me. I had a lot of fun hopping all over the mountain, ducking into the trees and trying to keep us out of the deep mogul ruts.
Unfortunately our day at Alta was cut a little short, though. I had been having some issues with my helmet for quite a while, but the last straw finally broke and my head couldn’t take being in my helmet for another second, so we called it a day when my head was screaming, and headed home early. The silver lining that day; however, came when I got a call from my boss informing me that I got a raise!
Since we got back to our “hotel room” a little earlier than we had expected we decided to do some Apres skiing and celebrate my exciting news. There’s really no better place to celebrate such a thing when you’re in Park City than at the one and only St. Regis in Deer Valley. When in Rome…
We set out for the St. Regis Bar and had such a lovely night. We parked in the Deer Valley parking lot and had to take a funicular, think slow motion roller coaster, up to the hotel. We timed it perfectly because we had to put our name on the list for a table which allowed us a little while to wander the beautiful hotel. Boy were we glad we had some extra time when we stumbled upon the most impressive hot cocoa bar you could imagine!
Each of these beautiful hammered copper urns contained homemade hot chocolate, really probably the best I’ve ever had, and then there was another table with copper bowls filled with toppings, like marshmallows, fresh whipped cream and chocolate shavings. You better believe we indulged!
We had just enough time to enjoy our hot cocoa outside by the fire before we got called to sit down in the bar. Our experience at the St. Regis Bar was wonderful. Our beverages were fantastic! While we appreciate a good drink, neither one of us is much of a cocktail snob, but these drinks were incredible. Alex ordered a Moscow Mule and I ordered a Winter’s Dream, which was hot chocolate, Irish cream and amaretto {the key ingredient!} and they were out of this world. To go along with our drinks we decided to order fondue since it had been two whole days since we’d eaten it…
The evening was topped off by a champagne sabering ceremony. Yes you read that right. One of the staff at the restaurant literally sabered off the top of a champagne bottle {yes, with a sword} under the almost full moon and treated all of the diners to a complimentary glass of bubbly. It was a great celebration!
Our final ski day was at Snowbasin, another resort we had not been to previously. We started the day rather early, as we drove into Ogden to buy me a new ski helmet. We timed it just right and as we pulled into the parking lot of the resort, the snow started to fall. We were eager with anticipation, as some of our friends had been to Snowbasin before and alerted us to the expansive resort that it is, plus, the icing on the cake that comes in the form of incredible lodges.
We were blown away by how stunning the lodges at Snowbasin are. They all have a log facade, multiple chandeliers, and wood-burning fireplaces. We really lucked out, too, because it seems like everyone who goes to Snowbasin sticks to the beginner trails, so we felt like we had the mountain all to ourselves. As if that wasn’t enough, the food was exceptional. I had chili for lunch and it was absolutely fantastic.
It was so fun to be able to ski at three completely different resorts. Snowbasin was so huge and open, with all kinds of wild, unkempt terrain, and extremely long runs. Alta was really old-school and had a lot of challenging terrain and odd fall-lines, but was really hard to navigate. Snowbird was wide-open and full of fast groomers and powder pockets, and we felt like it was laid out exceptionally well. We really hope to get the opportunity to come back to the Park City/Cottonwood Canyon area again soon!
2014 has been a year to remember. I think it’s safe to say that it has been our busiest year ever, filled with trips, new experiences, strengthened friendships and a lot more sunshine than usual.
The year started with a crummy ski season and a reeeeaallyyy bad case of the flu. The 2013-2014 ski season marked the year we skied the least since we moved to Seattle. It was a shame, too, because we didn’t take any ski trips in 2014.
We had several visitors throughout the year: my dad came to ski with us twice, once bringing my brother; Bryan and Sarah visited us for a long weekend in January, as did my mom.
We finished off the winter with a little Leavenworth getaway with Alex’s parents. Somewhere in there we managed to take a little weekend trip to Crystal with the Buffingtons, Millers and Sally and Ian, only to ski in the rain.
Spring came early to Seattle and filled the city with an abundance of sunshine and glorious weather. We celebrated our third anniversary and spent a bit of time working on our yard, per usual, and trying our hand at some gardening.
Alex broke his wrist and several ribs in an unfortunate bike accident.
As a trial-run for our Europe trip we headed up to Vancouver, BC to be “International” tourists for a weekend in May.
I jetted off to DC and Annapolis for Alina’s bachelorette party. We also hired a dog trainer to help us be better puppy parents.
Once June hit it seemed like the fast forward button got pushed and time just raced right on by. We spent an incredible month tooting around Europe, stopping in Italy for Alina and Alberto’s wedding, then moving on through Switzerland, Spain, London and Amsterdam, before ending our major vacation in Minnesota for Cammy and Adam’s wedding.
The rest of the summer was just as busy and included a camping trip near Mount Rainier with our great friends, the Millers and the Buffingtons.
Alex went to Chicago for Bryan’s bachelor party, then we both went to Lake Geneva for Bryan and Sarah’s wedding the following weekend.
The next weekend we took a trip to Suncadia to celebrate Dave and Trish’s wedding, then we unofficially ended the summer with a Labor Day trip to Walla Walla with Alex’s parents.
Alex’s cousin, Bryan, came to visit for a quick weekend, as well as his friend Nick, who came for a weeklong trip. Thankfully I had the foresight to re-decorate our guest room, as our house turned into a hotel for about a month!
Fall marked a bit of a slow-down. We spent a weekend in Minnesota for my high school reunion, then celebrated ten years together with a staycation in Woodinville before we took our annual weekend trip to Leavenworth with several friends to celebrate Oktoberfest. The rest of fall meant relaxation for us.
The last month of the year has been a favorite, as we got into the holiday spirit by baking {56 dozen} cookies for our neighbors and family, planning and hosting our first annual holiday party, as well as our Christmas trip to Leavenworth.
Our pets were healthy, happy and fairly well-behaved this year. It was a great year for them too!
Finishing out the year in Utah by taking a ski trip just the two of us is the perfect cessation of 2014. We have SO much to look forward to in 2015… Bring it on!
The theme of this holiday season for Alex and me has been family, friends and new traditions. While we still have a few more days left of the season, I’d say our Christmas surpassed my wildest expectations of new traditions and time with family.
We just returned home from our Christmas vacation in Leavenworth, Washington with both of our parents and Alina and Alberto. We spent five days in the mountains, as well as a day on either side in Seattle. I found a cabin for us to rent that came with a huge kitchen meant for entertaining, a great big wood burning fireplace, a fabulous hot tub, a dining room table to accommodate us all, a shuffleboard table and a wine fridge.
Our trip began in downtown Leavenworth where we stopped for lunch at Munchen Haus to enjoy a sausage, sauerkraut, as well as beer and mulled wine. We walked the streets of town and got our bearings before setting off to check into the lodge.
While it was a little different than I expected, the lodge worked out really well for us. I wish there would have been two more bedrooms and bathrooms, but the three {of each} that were there sufficed pretty well. The layout was meant for entertaining, though was still a little sectioned off. I would definitely stay there again – the hot tub was awesome, there was a huge deck off the back overlooking the expansive property and onto the mountains. The kitchen was enormous and had a lot of space to set food out for all of us to indulge in. We brought our own Christmas tree and a few decorations, as we had been told that the lodge wasn’t decorated for Christmas. As it turned out, there was a huge artificial tree and tons of decor in the closet. I guess the property manager was just too lazy to decorate for us!
The trip was a wonderful hodgepodge of cooking, eating, drinking, skiing, chatting and playing games. The first night we were treated to an Italian meal called Spetzatinna {or something similar}, which is a ragu with slow cooked beef served with polenta. It was divine!
Our first ski day was Christmas Eve. We woke up to find an early Christmas gift in the form of new snow! I think it’s safe to say we all enjoyed getting back on the slopes at Stevens Pass.
Donna prepared our delicious Christmas Eve turkey dinner and we spent the evening playing the game called “Things” which is a new favorite.
Christmas day started out with homemade cinnamon and orange rolls, opening our pajamas and gigantic stocking and just hanging out. We spent the day at the lodge and went in the hot tub, played Uchre, worked on the neverending puzzle and the ladies did Pilates. My mom arrived just in time for our prime rib dinner on Christmas night. She flew in late so she could spend Christmas morning with my brother back in Minnesota. Our night was finished with a grossly inappropriate game of Cards Against Humanity. Nothing like playing that game with your parents!
The day after Christmas we all piled in the SUVs and headed back to the mountains for more skiing.
We had planned on doing a sleigh ride that evening but there wasn’t enough snow for the sleigh so it got canceled. That meant we had more time in downtown Leavenworth to taste wine at Icicle River Winery and eat dinner at Gustav’s.
On our final full day in Leavenworth the moms treated themselves to a day at the spa while the rest of us made our final turns at Stevens Pass in one last day of skiing. It snowed quite a few inches during the day, which conveniently provided us with free snow refills.
We headed back to Seattle on Sunday with two very full SUVs, while my mom made her way slowly back to the airport. She went back home a day earlier than everyone else, and just as she was getting ready to leave the lodge we found out that chains were required to get through the mountain pass. Having a rental car meant she didn’t have chains, so she had to take the long way around through a different mountain pass. Of course less than 30 minutes after she left, the restriction was lifted so she could have gone the original route anyway. Oh well!
The rest of us packed up and headed back to our house since we still had one more night with the rest of the gang in Seattle. We spent quite a bit of time playing the game Fibbage on the Xbox before settling in for an evening of drinking wine at Bottlehouse.
Our house is now empty and feels much too quiet. It was very sad to see our families leave today after such a wonderful Christmas vacation with everyone. We are so grateful that our family was willing to come out to Washington to celebrate Christmas with us in the mountains. We knew it was a lot to ask but now that we’ve had our first Christmas out here we hope it won’t be the last. This holiday will go down as a highlight of my Christmas memories from recent years.
Last night we kicked off the holidays in style with our holiday party. We have been planning this party for several weeks and it’s hard to believe how fast it came and went. Alex and I had so much fun both at the party and preparing to host it. The evening went very smoothly and we were surprised how well we were able to estimate food and beverage quantities. We made a solid effort to try to chat with all of our guests and I think we were able to manage that and keeping everyone’s glasses relatively full. We’re hopeful this will be the first of many annual holiday parties! I’ll let the photos tell the story.
We can’t wait for the second annual holiday party next year!
I have been working really hard to prepare for our impending holiday party and the arrival of our family for Christmas. While I was busily chipping away at my to-do list yesterday I found myself staring at all of the holiday cards we have received so far this year. It was humbling to step back and see all of the people who care enough about us to take the time to send us a holiday card. The holidays have a way of making me more sentimental than usual, but I just felt a overwhelming sense of gratitude for the many friends and family we have in our lives.
Alex and I are positively floored by the number of “yes” RSVPs to our holiday party. Six years ago we probably could count on one hand the number of friends who would have come to our party, but today we need more than both of our hands together to count our Seattle friends and family who are going to be celebrating the holidays with us in our home. I am just feeling so blessed and thankful for the wonderful people we have in our lives.
We also know it was a lot to ask our families to come out and spend Christmas in the mountains here. Both Alex and I are so thankful that we both still have our parents and siblings and that they are able and willing to travel across the country, putting aside their differences and their own families, to spend it together, as a merged family. I will be greatly missing the presence of my brother, who is unable to join us, but am so grateful that our friendship has improved a lot over the last few months.
This year one thing Alex and I decided to do to spread our love bit was to bake cookies for our neighbors. I really overdid it {easy cookies next year!}, but we have packaged up 13 boxes of cookies to take to the neighbors on our block as a way to pass along some neighborly holiday cheer. We did this last year with a few neighbors we know better than others and we were overcome with their gratitude for us thinking of them.
We certainly have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season, and my heart is full and very warm knowing that we are spreading our holiday cheer.
As we patiently await the start to the 2014-2015 ski season Alex and I have been recalling just how far we have come as skiers over the last several years. We also realized that we are entering our seventh ski season in Washington, making that Alex’s eighth overall ski season.
Somehow I had a lot of confidence as a skier back in 2008-2009 while I was rocking my two-sizes-too-big white, down puffy coat that I had to get that big so it could fit all of my layers underneath {thanks mom}, my hand-me-down snowpants, another thanks to my mom, and my old school hand-me-down straight, skinny skis from my aunt who is at least 5 inches taller than I am.
Really, though, I remember thinking I was too hot to trot back then. And looking at the pictures I am really not sure what I would think if I saw me standing in the lift line for an “expert only” area of the mountain. Actually, I do know what I would think!
Moving on… Skiing in Washington has really been probably the best thing that Alex and I have done. As a kid I had fond memories of skiing, though I wanted to ditch my parents and just go find the jumps. Eventually in high school I became too cool for skiing and tried my hand at snowboarding a couple times before giving up on both completely. Somewhere along the line in college I yearned to go skiing again.
At that point, Alex had never tried skiing or snowboarding, and finally, our senior year of college Alex’s family took a trip to Breckenridge. I encouraged Alex to ski instead of snowboard and thankfully he listened. His family secured a ski instructor and Alex was hooked. Just like that.
There are a lot of people who I credit Alex’s unbelievable transition to becoming an exceptional skier. The person who wins the gold star is really Alex, though. I have come to realize how difficult it is to learn how to ski as an adult, mainly because you understand pain and risk and it’s a bit unnatural to fly down a snow {or ice} covered mountain with two wooden planks attached to your feet.
Alex bit his tongue and followed his ski instructor’s words of advice, then trying to be Mr. Big Shot, kept his mouth shut as I dragged him down a double black diamond mogul field known as Parachute. Oh the fond nights we spent learning how to master the Pacific Northwest at Snoqualmie those first few years. Neither one of us had any idea what we were doing. We just went for it.
The second year we lived in Washington we looked the part a bit more. I got a new more modern ski coat and pants, along with my first pair of shaped skis. We both got helmets to complete our look. I think this was the year that Alex bought his second pair of skis.
Our third ski season in Washington was the turning point for us, I believe. This particular year we had the opportunity to follow Patrick around Crystal Mountain during the four weekends we rented a cabin near the resort. Patrick is a fearless skier to say the least. We explored Crystal Mountain together with him and Carrie, as well as his childhood friend Chris and his wife Diane, both of whom are incredible skiers.
In addition to our local charades, we also took a trip to Breckenridge and had a private ski lesson from the man who taught Alex how to ski. That was singlehandedly the best thing we have done to improve our form.
I’m not sure how many ski days we had during the 2010-2011 ski season, but I bet it was pushing 40. That was the year our foundation was set and our skills and techniques were on their way.
The years that followed have allowed us to refine our form and continue to improve, but no ski season sticks out in my mind as much as 2010-2011. It paved the way for us. The following year we kicked it up another notch by taking another ski lesson, and I got a new ski outfit that made me look a bit more professional and put together and ready for several more years of adventures on skis.
We are both so thankful to our families for providing us the opportunity to learn to ski. We are very fortunate to have been able to take up a sport like this in the way that we have done. It’s a focal point to our winters and it makes me wonder what we would do all winter long if we didn’t ski. Now, here’s to the 2014-2015 ski season… if it ever comes to Washington!
Alex and I went a leeeeetle wild on the holiday decor this year. We are pulling out all the stops as we count down the days to our holiday party and the arrival of our family for Christmas. Here is a little sneak peek at our holiday home…
Oprah called and suggested I do a post about my favorite things, just like she does every year. I am almost as much of a big shot as she is, so I figure, what the heck. So, just for fun, I have compiled a list of some of my favorite random things, just like Oprah…..
Wearing these amazing Butter socks will make your feet feel like they have entered heaven. I basically live in them. These make awesome stocking stuffers, too!
These mocs from LL Bean are the most luxurious, comfy slippers I have ever had. “Wicked Good” is quite an apt name for them. I love that they have rubber soles so you can walk outside to grab the mail or whatnot, then scoot back inside, all while keeping your feet toasty. These are made for both men and women. Be forewarned that furry creatures also really like these, too, and they are not dog-proof!
If I could choose one, and only one, pair of skis to have forever and ever, this would be that pair. I am madly in love with my Line Celebrity skis. They are speedy on the groomers, making nice wide turns while cruisin’ down a blue, or tight bunny hop turns on the moguls, they are fantastic off-piste on the lovely “Cascade concrete” we get here in Washington, but also soar through champagne powder. These are the most versatile ski I have ever had.
Whenever I get a Food Network Magazine in the mail I read it that same day. I can’t say that for any other magazine that I receive. I love the casual style of the magazine, but the recipes are spot-on. The format makes it really easy to save recipes.
100 Days of Real Food cookbook
I am pretty big into “real food” and eating organic and this book has served as both a reference guide and a cookbook that has helped me clean up the food I eat. The recipes are really straight-forward and super tasty.
America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook
Whenever I see that a recipe is from America’s Test Kitchen I just know it’s going to be good. The chefs here test out a variety of ways of making really simple foods to super complicated foods and come up with a recipe that highlights the best flavor and way to prepare it. I particularly like the Healthy Family Cookbook, though they have dozens more cookbooks {and the Cooks Illustrated magazine}, because it has a healthier focus.
Several years ago my brother gave me a set of these flimsy plastic cutting mats {note, these are not just plastic cutting boards – they are much more thin and flexible} and they remain one of my favorite kitchen tools. Not only are they handy to cut or prepare meat on but they make adding flour to my mixer a cinch!
Being an avid cook I have quite a collection of spices. I think that Penzeys spices are some of the best spices in terms of the robustness in flavor and overall quality. I love buying their gift sets for people – they are really creatively packaged.
I have always loved my Lodge cast iron skillet but lately I have been using it more and more for preparing pretty much anything I have been cooking. I have a 10″ skillet and would love a few more smaller sizes, but this is an incredible go-to skillet that costs $20. Beat that All Clad! That said, if you properly season your cast iron skillet it will be non-stick, too, without needing a teflon coating. Bonus: check out the Lodge brand Dutch oven on Amazon. And beat that price, Le Cruset!
These silicone muffin tin liners are a game changer. Holy cow – they sure make baking muffins or cupcakes easy!
I am such an organizational nut that I am constantly looking for new notepads to keep track of my never-ending to-do lists. This one is a winner! I love the way it is organized to keep track of each day’s to-do items, along with any cleaning or errands, plus your schedule for the day, your overall goals, then what you’re going to do for exercise and your menu for the day. It doesn’t get much better than that! This is so well-thought!
My absolute favorite makeup ever is Bare Minerals. It’s just a light powder but the coverage is really unbeatable. Not only does it smooth out skin but it covers up pesky blemishes. And it feels so light and fresh. Oh, and it’s reasonably priced, too. I used to wear a liquid foundation and a powder, but after finding Bare Minerals all I use is the powder foundation.
Williams Sonoma evergreen candle
I would like to burn one of these winter forest scented candles in every room of my house right now. This is my favorite evergreen scent of all of the evergreen scented candles I’ve ever smelled. The candle has a really smooth burn and it smells like you’re walking through the forest.
My friend Carrie turned me onto the Zella Live In Leggings last year and I want about 4 more pairs. I wear these all the time! Pilates, with a pair of boots, as my “long underwear” skiing… You name it and these leggings fit the bill. They are reversable, too, which is just icing on the cake!
Alex and I both have one of these amazing Patagonia Nano Puff jackets and he says it’s like wearing a furnace. So true! The Nano Puff is suuuuper light-weight and comfy and unbelievably warm! Also, it folds into its own pocket making it ultra convenient for traveling. I wear this as my mid-layer underneath my hard shell when I ski.
Pottery Barn cozy cable knit throw
I don’t think this really needs a narration, as the title sums it up pretty perfectly.
Trader Joe’s tea tree oil face wash
Kind of a silly thing to include on my list of favorites, but this face wash is amazing! For about 9 months I kept having patchy red skin and blemishes and within a day or two of trying this face wash my skin completely cleared up and has never looked so smooth. I really can’t believe it took me 28 years to find this but it is a winner in my book!
Hope you enjoyed perusing my favorite things!
While life has slowed down immensely over the last month {thankfully!} time still seems to be zipping right along. Alex and I have been thoroughly enjoying down time at home, trying to make the most of our empty schedules before the holidays and ski season and a crazy travel year sneak up on us, which I think they just did!
Ski season in Washington is officially kicking off tomorrow. December is upon us. Thanksgiving has come and gone, which means the holidays are in full-swing. I’d be willing to bet big bucks that you’ll find us at Crystal mountain for day one of Allen Family Ski Season next weekend.
Alex and I can’t wait for Christmas, but more than anything, we are both just so excited to embrace the holidays this year. It is a big year for us – we’re hosting a swanky holiday party, then both of our families are coming out for Christmas in Washington. I have been busily planning for our party, our week-long Christmas celebration and several trips we are taking between now and mid-March. We’ve also got a couple of tentative trips and a really exciting project we’re working on. Oofta! It’s going to be a great winter!
That said, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We spent the day over at Ryan and Mary’s house, alongside Ryan’s fraternity brother, Mike, and his girlfriend Priya. It was such a relaxing, calm day filled with great company and food. And wine.
In all this down time I have had, I have been rather lax about posting what we’ve been up to. Last weekend I got together with Carrie, Mary and Jamie to have an afternoon at the new Hobby Lobby, then ran over to Carrie’s to see the beautiful result of their recent kitchen renovation. At some point recently we had a really fun night out in Capitol Hill with the Buffingtons and the Millers, but I can’t remember which weekend that was!
Last weekend we met Mary and Ryan, as well as Jamie and Evan at Marymoor dog park for a little puppy play date. Our little ham and Berkeley, Mary and Ryan’s dog, decided to have a contest to see which pup could get the dirtiest. Berkeley won.
Thankfully this dog park is so baller that they have a dog wash station, which we were very happy to pay a visit to.
After our dog park sesh, both us and the Millers realized we were going to pick up our wine club release shipments that day, so we met up in Woodinville to taste at Darby, where Ryan and Mary are club members, then across the street to Trust, where Alex and I are members, then next door to Fidelitas, a winery none of us had ever been to.
So far we are thrilled with our newest wine club, Trust Winery. They do two shipments each year and in each shipment you get three bottles of two wines, so six total wines but three of each. I love that concept. We haven’t tried anything yet – I think these ones will hang out in the cellar for a bit…
Aside from Thanksgiving this week, Alex and I have really just been home for the most part. Alex had Wednesday and Friday off, whereas I worked at home on Wednesday. He woke up on Wednesday and made cinnamon rolls! Yes, from scratch! Love him.
Friday we got up, lit a fire and decorated our house for Christmas {I’ll do a separate post with photos of our house all jazzed up for the holidays – we got a ton of cute new stuff this year that I can’t wait to share, but not everything has arrived yet!}.
Just as I was waking up on Saturday morning Seattle was getting covered in a light blanket of snow. I grabbed a cup of coffee and positioned myself in front of the window to watch the big, wet flakes slowly fall. It is very, very rare for it to snow in Seattle, so I was treasuring the moment.
The rest of the weekend has been so super relaxing. Alex read a book in front of the fire. I finished up my Christmas shopping and have just been doing some planning. We had our Pilates class on Saturday. We are relaxed and well-rested… Let the holiday season begin!